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Lucien's Diary
Lucien's Diary is a diary kept by Lucien Fairfax. It is an account of Lucien's life from his wife's and daughter's death to the day he murders Rose and attempts to murder the Hero of Bowerstone. It is obtained from under a troll after being told the location by Jeeves, Lucien's former butler, in the quest The Bargain. Contents of this Book (Use this in your inventory to listen to the echo of Lucien's voice.) Diary Extract One Tonight I look down on the mobs crowding the Bowerstone streets and feel a dark, bitter envy. I covet their comfort, their vibrancy, their... Life. Fairfax Castle is silent. My dear Helena, my cherished Amelia...I miss you both terribly. Diary Extract Two There is no more certain cure for pain than anger. And I am filled with enough of that to bring the world to a smouldering halt. That people would accept death and despair as part of life-- as fate --is beyond my comprehension. I find myself wanting to shout into their ignorant faces, to shake them out of their complacency. For surely they are insane. This world, and every living thing, must surely be insane. Diary Extract Three I resumed my research today; I can read for an hour at a stretch before that dark cloud descends upon my mind once more. The moments of clarity I have must suffice. I think. Perhaps in these papers I can find something that will ease my suffering, and even that of others. Perhaps. Diary Extract Four I am no longer alone in my research. Garth is from the western reaches of Samarkand and his work far outstrips my own. He shows a remarkable facility with Old Kingdom artifacts. Today I have watched in wonder as lights, delicately spun like cobwebs, shimmered in solid stone. Remarkable. Diary Extract Five I have discovered that by the end of their reigns, the Archons of the Old Kingdom faced their own mortality with anger; they came to reject the inevitability of death. That we share at least this philosophy is some comfort. They made great efforts to change the world. Great efforts. When I mentioned this to Garth, he grew silent, I wonder at this. Diary Extract Six I've found it! Images of the Tattered Spire are now burned into my mind. It is the sun looked upon for too long, the melody that echoes ceaselessly. I've found it! The key to a new world! I pray that I have the will to do what I must. Diary Extract Seven Garth finally capitulated. Together we took a frigate to the site and sent down drag-lines. We circled the area for a week, growing more irritatable with each day. Then today our lines hit stone! It is there! It is deep. Unfathomably deep. And yet the task is not impossible. It must not be. Diary Extract Eight There is no alternative; enforced labour is the only way the Spire can be completed within my lifetime. Garth shares my apprehension at this prospect, but I believe he shares my determination as well. Sometimes conventional notions of morality must be subverted, suspended, no matter how difficult that may be. Morality is a fine thing... But taken to its logical extreme, it can hold us back from true greatness. Diary Extract Nine Perhaps Westcliff is the answer to the enforcement dilemma. Crucible Winners must be of particularly sturdy stock; ideal recruits, physically. As for issues of obedience... I believe I may have found an answer to any dissatisfaction that might develop once they are here. I cannot allow anything to compromise the Spire's construction. Diary Extract Ten Blood seems to be the key; in particular those whose lineage can be traced back to the ancient line. But where do I find such folk? Can their ancestry be determined by the naked eye? It strikes me that I have not made sufficient note of Garth's peculiarities before now. I shall enquire... Diary Extract Eleven I feel an unexpected joy at being so far out from the mainland. Here I can imagine that no other ties bind me to this world. No past. No pain. Just the great task before me. Now the base is almost complete. Our ships will have a harbour, at least! Sadly, today saw the first of our workers fall. This was not unexpected. We must continue regardless. Diary Extract Twelve Each month it becomes harder to imagine a return to mundane duties. The Spire whispers to me, still faint but already somehow familiar and comforting. As I lay my hand upon the walls that are only now beginning to take shape, I can almost feel the heartbeat of those that came before us. Today the peace was interrupted briefly by a minor uprising. I had no choice but to deal with it harshly. I do not begrudge the men that stood against me; they do not understand. But they will learn in time. Diary Extract Thirteen Garth informs me that four workers leapt to their death this morning. It is regrettable, and yet I must remain focused. The work is what matters. In fact, I wonder if we should not be less discriminating when it comes to the recruitment of Labour. Our progress seems less a function of their efforts and their skill, than of their sheer weight in numbers. I shall forgo the use of the collars on these men. I believe more traditional forms of discipline will be just as efficient. Diary Extract Fourteen Today, I felt the first stirring of Will. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Powerful, seductive. And all too brief. I hunger for more. Garth seemed displeased. 'Beware hubris' was all he could think to say. It is becoming clear to me that his thinking, while brilliant, is often conflicted and timid. Can he not grasp the beauty of what we shall accomplish? Diary Extract Fifteen My beloved Helena and Amelia still visit me whenever I close my eyes, but last night my dreams were unlike anything that have haunted me before. I saw a blind, hooded woman, and other figures, shadowed and gaunt. But sunrise has already stripped me of any meaning it may have held. Is this all my new abilities have to offer? Cryptic visions and prophetic riddles? I would sooner enjoy a full night of rest. Diary Extract Sixteen One question has consumed me of late; if the Spire and its component parts react to Will, would not small slivers of the Spire within a man grant him heroic powers? I had prepared an experiment to test this arresting theory, only for Garth's interruption to ruin it. He is becoming a greater impediment the further we progress. Yet I have no thought of removing him... Once indispensable for his intellect alone, he is now crucial to this great project in ways he may not even suspect. I hope he does not. Diary Extract Seventeen My life and my purpose lie far beyond Albion's shores now. I shall not stay long in the castle that bears my name. My facility with the technology of the ancients increases exponentially, and today I learned of two promising candidates right here within the city. Could it be that two of the titans I seek are right under my nose? They are only children, but... Oh, my dear Amelia. Category:Fable II Books